


where ever you're going, i'm going your way

by CapnShellhead



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 07:53:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12476860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapnShellhead/pseuds/CapnShellhead
Summary: Tony didn't sing often but when he did, Steve was never far away.





	where ever you're going, i'm going your way

**Author's Note:**

> All of my fics assume the team still lives in the Tower so, in that regard, this is an AU. Post Avengers and nothing else after that film happens here. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Tony didn’t sing often.

The first time Steve heard his voice, it was after a few weeks of living in the Tower.

Truth be told, Steve was still unsure of this whole arrangement. He and Tony didn’t get along as well outside of their uniforms as they did in the field. It was something Clint had laughed at and said, “You know what that means” with a lewd gesture. And no, Steve didn’t know because he’d been a soldier. He worked well with several men in the field. Then Clint grinned mischievously, adding, “That’s not the same and you know it. There’s being a part of a team where you give orders and delegate. Then there’s a partnership where you anticipate the other person’s thoughts. When you know what they’re going to do before they know. That’s so much more than just being teammates.”

Steve thought on it for quite some time. He’d been a leader in the army but those men hadn’t had that level of connection with him. He’d had some of that with Bucky. There were times when they were incredibly in sync and times when they only needed a glance to know where to get into position. But Bucky could also be unpredictable. There was a part of him that was used to making decisions on his own because Steve’s mouth used to get him into trouble and Bucky knew how to read a room better than Steve used to. He knew Bucky better than anyone else and they worked well together because Bucky could make the choices Steve couldn’t see.

But with Tony… with Tony Steve always knew exactly what the man would do before he did it. And it infuriated him.

Steve knows that if he gives an order and Tony goes quiet, he’s planning on doing something reckless that’ll inevitably put him in harm’s way. He knows that if he describes an impossible situation, Tony will take it upon himself to come up with the fastest and probably most self-endangering method to solve it. He knows this because the same thoughts run through his mind. He knows that Tony shares his inability to accept impossible situations. Even when JARVIS and Clint and Nat are telling them there’s no way out without losing a few people, Tony and Steve refuse to hear it. For Steve, that means sending everyone out ahead of himself and for Tony, that means flying himself headfirst into danger.

They’ve had several fights about this in the past.

Steve yelling at Tony in the med bay because he’d gotten injured going back inside a crumbling building. He’d waited until the doctor gave him his aftercare instructions. “Take it easy. No strenuous activities for the next few days,” to which Tony winked in response and nodded towards Cap with a sly, “Shouldn’t be a problem, doc. He never lets me have any fun.”

Steve having to guide Tony through an abandoned warehouse when he got wrapped up in a failed kidnapping attempt without his suitcase armor. Maybe he’d taken out a little too much of his frustration on the men holding Tony but his heart stopped when JARVIS sent that alert. He grabbed and disarmed one man with a loud crack and took down another in two quick moves. Tony stopped to gape at him, his mouth falling open as someone started shooting behind them. Steve tumbled backwards and took them out before they could get any more shots off. Then he got to his feet and hurried to drag Tony with him. “Goddamn it, Tony. Use your head!”

Tony giving him the silent treatment for days after he ended up in the med bay for staying behind to evacuate a burning building. The burns healed rather quickly but the smoke inhalation caused some complications. Tony had been telling him to get out the entire time and Steve eventually pulled his comms out in annoyance. He sat there on the hospital bed, an oxygen mask on his face as Tony stood over him and glared. He’d yelled at Steve for a solid twenty minutes before he started sulking but he didn’t leave. Steve really expected him to leave.

For all the negatives of understanding Tony, there were positives as well.

He saw them when he turned to Tony to call out an order and Tony was already in the air doing exactly that without having to be told. He saw them when he had the sense to move his shield to angle one of Tony’s repulsors. He saw them when they both reached for each other to duck from an explosion. When they fought back to back as though they’d been doing this for years. He’ll never forget the strange sense of calm when a Hydra agent aimed a gun at him and Tony’s repulsor fired away from where Steve’s head had been moments ago. He hadn’t even flinched; he’d moved because he’d known what Tony had planned and he can’t explain how.

He saw the positives when he was slumped over in his room after a mission and refused to see anyone. Bruce came by and tried to talk to him, as did Thor but Steve wasn’t in the mood. Only Tony came and refused to leave his doorway. He leaned against the doorjamb and just stared at Steve for a while until Steve got frustrated and snapped, “What do you want, Stark? We had a good day. Shouldn’t you go celebrate?” Tony didn’t leave and Steve added, “We didn’t lose anyone. No one got hurt. Perfect day.”

Tony just stood there, his hand over his chin before he came closer and stood over him. Steve refused to look up at him so Tony squatted down in front of him, getting eye level. He just stared at Steve for a while before he said quietly, “You’re allowed to be happy.” Steve froze, his breath caught as he takes in Tony’s stern expression. He waits there until he sees something in Steve’s face before he nods and leaves. Steve sat there in silence for a long time, his hands shaking.

All of this to say, while they understood each other to a frustrating extent, living with Tony wasn’t exactly a cakewalk.

He was messy. He left oil stains on the walls leading to the kitchen and his lab. He left coffee mugs on every flat service. Including Hulk’s back one enlightening morning. He was moderately anti social, even with the others, which was off. Granted, they’d only known each other a few months but outside the occasional lab session with Bruce, he didn’t seem to really warm to anyone else. He kept odd hours which mean waking up at three in the morning when he unintentionally blew something up.

This was why Steve knew the probable cause of the music he heard in the halls around two in the morning. It sounded like piano but it certainly wasn’t a recording. He shuffles sleepily down the hall to the main room to see Tony sitting at the piano. He’s wearing sweats and an old MIT sweater, his hair in disarray. He’s focused intently on the piece, the music flowing seamlessly as though he’d been playing for years.

Then he begun to sing.

” _Stars shining bright above you. Night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’. Birds singing in the sycamore trees. Dream a little dream of me,”_ he crooned softly and Steve felt his smooth voice wash over him pleasantly.

His voice was a deep and melodic tone, settling Steve in a way he should’ve expected. When Tony was half asleep and slumped over at the breakfast table, he liked to talk his way through his latest invention. Steve couldn’t follow half of it but the timbre of his voice made Steve feel calm and safe in a way he was too afraid to explore. Even when they were yelling at each other, Tony’s voice distracted Steve in unfortunate ways that made him wonder what he’d sound like saying Steve’s name under more pleasurable circumstances.

Hearing him sing was like all of that in threefold and Steve feels warm in his chest. He wanted to get closer, to hear more and he moves in, his hands clammy as Tony continues to play. He looks up when Steve comes into view, hesitant as his hands pause on the keys. He seems to consider something for a moment before he gestures for Steve to come closer.

Steve would’ve been fine standing beside the piano but Tony slides over on the bench. Steve sits next to him nervously, feeling all the while like he was crowding him as Tony resumes playing. His shoulders are a little too broad so he ends up resting a hand on the bench behind Tony’s back. Steve watches as his fingers trail the keys expertly. He had wonderful hands; Steve noticed this very early on when he dropped by the lab and watched Tony working on one of his boots. They were strong, his fingers long and nimble; the kind that made Steve want to draw them and wonder what they’d feel like on his skin.

Tony’s lashes long and dark where they fan out over his cheek as he sings, focused on the keys. His lips are red, wet as he runs his tongue over them between verses. He goes through the rest of the song; one Steve’s never heard but it’s lovely. It sounds timeless; like a song Steve would’ve heard in a movie from his time. “Dream a little dream of me,” Tony finishes, the last note fading out as he turns to look at Steve.

His brown eyes are bright and clear, he’s closer than he’s ever been and Steve can feel his heart beating out of his chest. His breath is warm on Steve’s face, his tongue peeking out to lick his lips again. Steve’s gaze falls to them before they return to Tony’s eyes. Tony’s brow furrows hesitantly as he breathes, “Steve-“ and then Steve’s kissing him, his hands coming up to cup Tony’s face. Tony sighs, moving in closer.

And of course, Steve knew he would do that.

X

The second time Steve hears Tony sing, he was half asleep.

He was warm, lying on top of something soft. He can hear Tony’s voice above him and he smiles. _”What a glorious feeling, I’m happy again. I’m laughing at clouds. The sun’s in my heart.”_ Steve turns his ear closer to Tony as the mattress shifts beneath him. He’s spread out rather wide on Tony’s ridiculously big mattress. He’d bought it before he even met Steve, which Steve had questioned but it turned out Tony was just a terrible sleeper. It didn’t matter that his bed was big enough for four Steves, Steve had still woken up in the middle of the night to Tony burrowed into his space.

Steve turns his ear up to hear more as the mattress shifts beneath him. Then he feels warm breath on his ear and Tony’s deep voice as he whispers, “I know you’re awake, big guy.”

Steve laughs and rolls over, squinting up at Tony in the sunlight streaming in from the large windows. To tell the truth, he’d been nervous about how exposed they seemed. Then Tony came over and pushed his back against the cool glass before he got down on his knees. It was a lot easier to get past them when Tony was sucking him down and cutting off his lecture.

Tony sets a hand down on either side of Steve and slides over him, a smile on his face. His eyes are bright as Steve grins up at him, feeling lighter than he has in a long time. Maybe ever. He bites his lip as Tony says, “You’re welcome here anytime, you know that. But we’re going to have to come up with some excuse for why we just happen to show up to breakfast at the same time.”

Steve thinks about it for a moment, his fingers coming up to trace Tony’s face. “We could try the truth?”

Tony’s brow rose, “You mean that we’ve been doing couple-y things for the last six months and haven’t told anyone?”

Steve frowns slightly and asks, “How about we’re a couple that’s been doing couple-y things for the last six months?”

“That’s so final,” Tony whines and Steve feels his stomach twist. They hadn’t had this talk yet. Not really because there was never a good time. Steve couldn’t get the words out and Tony broke out in hives whenever he heard the word “relationship”. He didn’t say it but Steve thought it had something to do with Pepper. He seemed to think making it “official” made this something that could end. If they never gave it a name, it wasn’t something that could be taken away from him.

“It is final,” Steve began to sit up but Tony stopped him with a palm on his chest.

“Hey, listen, I’m not trying to get out of this. I’m not seeing anyone else or holding out hope Pepper will show up outside my window with a boom box.” At Steve’s frown he waved his hand. “Movie cliché. I just… this is quite possibly the healthiest relationship I‘ve ever had since Rhodey and I don’t want to screw this up. If we tell people… I’m afraid they’ll look at you and me and think ‘why the hell is Captain America with someone like that guy?’ And they’d be right,” he finishes with soft eyes.

It was worse than he’d thought and Steve lets Tony keep him on his back even as he wants so badly to be eye level with him. A thousand words run through his mind and nearly formed thoughts and half thought out lectures but what comes out is, “You sing to me.”

Tony’s eyes widen, his mouth twisting in confusion.

“You sing to me and when I’m upset, you always know exactly what’s wrong. Even when I don’t know. You make me feel like it’s okay to be selfish sometimes and you sing to me.” He smiled slowly, his voice gaining strength as he spoke, “You’re handsome and smart and everything about you says that we would’ve never crossed paths if I’d been born in this time and I’m so lucky just to be here with you. I know we argue a lot and I could not have been happier the day we realized we could have sex instead.”

“You mean the day you lost your virginity?” Tony asked lowly and Steve glared at him softly.

“I’m trying to be sweet here,” he mutters, watching Tony smile fondly at the accent showing through. “I know why I’m with you. I know what I see. I don’t know why you’re with me to tell you the truth. I know what I look like but that can’t be it.”

Tony shrugged, “I don’t know, I’m pretty shallow. Have you met me?” Steve rolls his eyes as Tony leans down to kiss him. “You want to tell people, we can tell people. When they ask questions, you can tell them you’re… I don’t know, a gold digger?”

Steve sighed, “Tony, I just told you-“

“I know,” he says quietly and it gives Steve pause. “That’s for me. We don’t owe them anything. Let them think what they want.” He huffs out a laugh, his fingers trailing over Steve’s chest. “I actually want to see their faces when you tell them I’m your sugar daddy.”

“In a way, aren’t you everyone’s sugar daddy?” Steve asks and Tony clamps a hand over his face as he laughs. When he settles, Tony pulls his hand away and grins down at him.

“You might want to think long and hard about why I do those things, Steve.” He kisses his forehead and climbs off the bed, the sight of his bare ass making Steve’s cock take interest. “You’re pretty but so’s Thor and you don’t see me singing to him, do you?”

X

The next time Steve hears Tony playing, he waits by the doorway again. He plays on without a hitch until he got to the bridge of a song Steve didn’t recognize and then his fingers slowed. Then started… and slowed again.

Steve moved in closer, curious. Tony hadn’t noticed him yet, staring at the keys dissatisfied. Steve hears him curse as he keeps trying. Eventually, he stopped altogether and pinched the bridge of his nose. It pulls at Steve’s heart and he doesn’t know what to do.

“Why’d you stop? You’re really good.”

Tony jumps slightly and when he looks up, his eyes are red. He wipes at his nose and tries a weak smile. Concerned, Steve sits down next to him. “I forgot the song.” He lowers his eyes again as he explains, “She used to sing this every winter. It never made any sense because the song was about fall but every Christmas, she would sing this song.”

Steve watched him slide his fingers over the keys, his shoulders painfully tense and he felt powerless. He watches Tony for a moment longer and then puts a hand on the keys. It was the wrong register but he tried to mimic what he’d heard earlier. “Try it again?”

Tony swallows thickly, watching Steve’s fingers as Steve tries to recreate the song from earlier. He does it for a while until Tony’s lips quirk and he reaches up to play again. He starts from the beginning, Steve’s attempt fading out as he continues. _“Try to remember, a kind of September, when grass was green.”_ His voice is soft, brittle and a little thick as he sang. It made Steve want to make him stop but he knew this was meant a lot to him. He lays his head on Tony’s shoulder as he listens.

He stops for a moment, “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“You think she would’ve been proud of me?” he asks and Steve can’t remember him ever sounding this small before.

Steve lifts his head to study him more closely. He’s breathing heavily, eyes locked on the keys where his hands had started to shake. Steve takes them carefully in his own and whispers, “I know she would be.”

“How could you know that?” Tony asks and he probably means it to sound harsh but it’s the same soft tone that sent chills down Steve’s spine earlier. He loved so many aspects of Tony’s voice but he knows in this moment that it has the power to hurt as much as it brought joy to Steve’s life.

“Because of this,” he gestures to the Tower. “All of this was because you’re the kind of man that doesn’t know how to accept anything less than great. You turned yourself into a hero and you give everything that you are to this team. You’re relentless and generous and you’re downright terrifying when you set your mind to something.” The way Tony’s looking at him right now makes Steve’s chest ache but he keeps going, even as Tony’s eyes well and spill down his cheeks. “Tony,” he swallows and continues, wiping his sweaty palms on his pant legs. “I don’t know what brought this on and I don’t know who made you think you were anything less than what we see in you and I don’t care. She would have been incredibly proud of the man you turned into. “

Tony just stared at him as he finished, his eyes wide as his hands shook in Steve’s grasp. “She taught me this song,” he whispers. “Didn’t have the time to teach me to play but she taught me this song and I can’t remember it, Steve.” Steve nods in understanding and pulls Tony in closer.

His shoulders shake as Steve runs a hand over his head and says, “It’s okay, Tony. She would’ve understood.”

X

The lights are dim where Steve sat on the couch in their room. Tony was stalking towards him, yanking his tie off as he did. They’d gone out for dinner earlier and while Steve was pleased to see the team getting along, he’d been anxious to get home the whole time. Tony looked particularly delectable on the ride over, so excited for the night ahead of them. It took everything in Steve to behave and keep his hands to himself when he was so cheerful and moving into Steve’s space. Especially he’d climbed over Steve to talk to Happy and Steve got a close look at the way those slacked hugged his ass.

Now they were alone and he couldn’t wait to run his hands over Tony’s body. Tony stood before him and straddled Steve’s thighs. He let Steve wrap his arms around him and hold him close. _”Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,”_ he crooned with a teasing grin as Steve stroked his back and let Tony’s voice wash over him. He kissed the spot behind Tony’s ear and smiles when Tony’s voice wavers. “ _Happy birthday, dear Steve._ ”

Steve stood up, feeling Tony’s legs wrap around him tight. He carried Tony over to the bed and lay him down. Tony blinked up at him, eyes slightly dazed as Steve licked his lips and began unbuttoning Tony’s shirt. Then he started in on the slacks that had been driving him crazy all night. Removing them and making quick work of his underwear, as well. Then he was kneeling at the end of the bed and taking Tony deep in his mouth.

Tony shuddered, his voice breathy as he finished, _“Happy birthday to you._ ” He broke off in a moan, his back arching as Steve swallowed him down. He sucked hard as he pulled up, his tongue swiping hungrily around the tip where Tony was already wet and leaking precome. He swiped over the slit taking in every drop, his hands tight around Tony’s thighs as he shook. “Steve,” Tony groaned, making Steve’s cock jerk in his pants. Another greedy suck around the head of his cock and Tony’s starting an endless stream of broken off words.

“Steve, Steve, baby, so good, you’re so good at this,” he murmurs, the words making Steve warm pleasantly. He takes Tony deep again, pulling his legs wider as he does and hearing Tony groan low and deep from above. The sound leaves Steve sliding a desperate hand in his pants to grip his cock and relieve some pressure. He could come just like this hearing Tony say his name in that needy way, his voice low and deep. Steve moans, stroking his cock faster as Tony continues his steady stream of chatter. “Oh god, Steve, I’m close, baby. I’m so close, I’m going to come.”

Steve swallowed again, feeling Tony’s cock jerk twice as his hips bucked and Tony cried out. Then Tony’s spilling clean down his throat and Steve’s ruining a ridiculously expensive comforter by covering it in come. He shudders through the aftershocks, pulling back to suck on the head of Tony’s spent cock. Tony runs a hand over the back of Steve’s head and smiles.

“I have quite the night planned for you, big guy,” he says softly and Steve shudders in anticipation.

X

Tony was warm and squirmy in Steve’s arms as he turned around to speak to Rhodey. He was a mess of limbs in Steve’s grasp and Steve loved it when he got like this. He’d been babbly and a little too handsy with Steve all night and Steve couldn’t resist kissing him every time he apologized, his face flushed and happy. Tony had been through so much and Steve was proud that something he’d done made Tony feel this way. He loved this man.

Steve had worried and stressed out the entire day; concerned that something would go wrong. Some newfound super villain would attack the city or Clint would go too far teasing Bruce and the Hulk would make an appearance. Or, and he hadn’t told anyone other than Nat, Tony would realize what a mistake this was and bow out. Of course, Nat had studied him for a long time before saying, “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

To which Steve had gaped at her, moderately offended. Even worse when she continued, “You are a complete moron. That man out there loves you. Not fleetingly like those women that fawn over you for rescuing them. Not like the hero worship little kids feel for you. He genuinely loves you. When you find that person that knows what you’re thinking before you do, who will watch boring war documentaries with you because they enjoy your company, who will worry enough that they will sit in a waiting room for four hours just to yell at you when a stupid plan nearly gets you killed… when you find the person that likes you even when you don’t like yourself, you go all in. It’s rare, Rogers. I know you know that.”

At the end of all of this, Steve doesn’t know what to say. Nat moves in closer and straightens the lapels of his service uniform. She eyes him critically and adds, “How you got this far without being certain how he felt about you says a lot more about you than it does him.”

“Nat,” he began

“It’s starting. You get out there and make him happy.” She shoved him towards the door and never mentioned it again.

Now Tony was squirming in his lap to bicker with Rhodey and Steve was shrugging helplessly at Bruce across the table. They’d been talking about some scientist called Helen Cho when Rhodey came over to give Tony his congratulations (with a measured warning glare for Steve). Tony turned back around finally and picked up his fork again. They were sharing a piece of cake although Tony hadn’t taken more than a bite before he got distracted.

Steve runs a hand over his hair as Tony leans in, the smell of sugar in the air. _”Fill my heart with song and let me sing forever more,”_ he sang quietly into Steve’s ear. Steve shivered, his hand settling on Tony’s stomach. His eyes fall closed, even as he feels Bruce’s eyes on them. “ _You’re all I long for; all I worship and adore. In other words, please be true. In other words, I love you.”_ Tony laughs warmly, his breath on Steve’s ear. He pulls back and Steve opens his eyes to see Tony beaming at him, his eyes crinkled in the corners, so bright and fond it made Steve’s insides melt. He loves this man more than he’s ever loved anyone and instead of letting it terrify him, he embraces it. Holds Tony tighter as he says, “Yeah, I thought you would like that one.”

Steve nods and cups his cheek, pulls him into a soft kiss. Tony grins into the kiss, his body a livewire of enthusiasm. Steve gets to do this for the rest of his life. He could have that voice in his ear for the rest of his days.

X

Steve comes around the corner to see Tony standing in front of the large windows with Riri in his arms. She was blinking up at him tiredly as Tony rocks her, his voice low. _”Moon river, wider than a mile. I’m crossing you in style someday.”_ Steve smiles fondly and leans against the doorjamb. He was wondering when this warmth in the pit of his stomach would go away but it returned every time he watched Tony with her. She’d latched onto Tony immediately the moment the social worker set her in his arms and he’d barely put her down since. He claimed it was because she was smiling and he didn’t want to risk it but Steve knew otherwise.

 _”You dream maker, you heartbreaker,_ ” he crooned as he smiled down at her and a smile spread across her face. “ _Where ever you’re going, I’m going your way._ ” This was yet another one Steve had never heard but it was pleasant. He watched from his spot at the door, not wanting to interrupt them. Tony rocked her and continued to sing as she beamed up at him, blinking sleepily in his arms.

“ _Moon river and me,”_ he finished and moved to set her down in the bassinet by the couch. Once he’d laid her down, he whispered, “You can come in now.”

Steve padded over, watching his husband slide a tired hand over his mess of curls. He looked exhausted. Being a stay at home dad was a full time job and doing that on top of being a reserve team member meant even more stress. Granted, they’d only called him out twice in the ten months he’d taken off but it was hard for Tony to listen to them on call outs and not be able to help. When Steve suggested he should maybe stop listening over the comms, he and Tony had a rather long and loud row that ended in some furniture breaking sex and Steve never brought it up again.

He caught Tony around the waist as he sighed and grinned up at him. Steve stole a kiss and scratched at the short hair on the back of his neck. Tony groaned softly and buried his face in Steve’s chest. “How anyone would call you stealthy is crazy to me.”

“You ever think maybe I wasn’t trying to be stealthy?” he asks, holding Tony closer as he began to sway. They didn’t get to do this often now that they were parents. He missed just getting to hold Tony when they were both awake. “Hmm? I’m a pretty big guy-“

Tony scoffs, “Pretty big,” he muttered.

“It’s kinda hard for me to hide from people,” he finished, swatting Tony softly on the butt. “Besides, when you sing, I can’t help but listen.”

Tony hummed and let Steve hold him for a while. “This is true. You’ve always loved my voice. Even when I’m yelling at you.”

“Even when you’re yelling at me,” Steve admits and maybe there was one time that would’ve embarrassed him. Not just that he had a weakness for Tony’s voice but that Tony knew he had a weakness for his voice. Now, after being married to him fro three years, he didn’t really care. He held Tony tight before pulling back to look at their daughter. She was still slumbering quietly, her eyes closed. “It seems you have a new fan.”

**Author's Note:**

> This all grew from the very last scene which I wrote first. Originally, the song Tony sung was "Smile" by Nat King Cole but I subsequently realized what a sad song that actually is. As much as I adore it, maybe not the best song to sing to encourage sweet dreams :)


End file.
